As a content creator, I pay attention to the quality of the email communications I send to clients, friends, and acquaintances—everybody, really. It’s so easy to get sloppy, especially in the heat of the moment or if you’re feeling especially rushed. So I paid special attention to a June 14 posting “Email etiquette: 10 dos and don’ts” by Jacqueline Whitmore. (Ms. Whitmore is a business etiquette expert who runs The Protocol School in Palm Beach. Don’t you just love that?)
Ms. Whitmore presents valuable tips for minding your email manners. These little gems are worthy of review by all of us. No matter how long we’ve been sending email and how much we pride ourselves on our communication skills. (By the way, did you know that workers spend a whopping 28 percent of their workweek reading and responding to email?)
Here are my top five favorite tips, but frankly, they’re all good. So read the article.
- Create a good subject line. Be clear and avoid the temptation to be cutesy.
- Don’t use humor. I’m from the East Coast and, frankly, I think I’m as funny as Seinfeld and Tony Soprano combined. But my humor has fallen disastrously flat in the past. I avoid it in email, which is extremely hard to nuance.
- Yes. It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re in a hurry, but you don’t want your recipient to give you the side eye, do you?
- Assume nothing. Even if your message is part of an email chain, act as though it’s a standalone piece. Your reader will thank you.
- Cool down. It’s tempting to pen a snappy response when you’re angry, but even righteous indignation doesn’t play well. So wait until you’re calmer to send it. And—this is my idea—discuss the situation with trusted members of your kitchen cabinet. Don’t know what a kitchen cabinet is? Check it out here.
I love email. Can’t imagine how we all functioned without it. And I still remember debates about whether or not it is a legitimate form of business communication. But, there are pitfalls, and you don’t want to fall into one of those pits!
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